When the Accra-Tema Motorway was opened to traffic in 1964, it was mainly to link two major cities — Accra, the national capital, and Tema, the emerging industrial and port city.At that time, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the visionary, foresaw heavy vehicular traffic building between the two cities, reaching its peak when his dream of transforming Tema into the industrial hub of the newly-independent Ghana began to materialise.Those who were old enough will recollect that in those days once one exited Accra, the only place of call was Tema, unless, of course, one was continuing towards Ho and beyond or Aflao, the country’s eastern gateway.

Today, (2007) the Accra-Tema Motorway cannot be said to be playing the same role envisaged at its inauguration.The Motorway now carries heavy traffic destined for not only Tema and its numerous satellite settlements on the east but also for new communities that have sprung up on the western side.

New residential areas on the western side of the Motorway include East Legon, Adjiriganno, Trassaco Valley and the still-under-development Borteiman Estate.

On the eastern side are numerous factories, bonded warehouses, shopping malls, banks and several residential estates. Among the residential areas are Tema communities 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20. Apart from these are private estates belonging to the National Trust Holding Company (NTHC), Hydrafom, Devtraco, Coastal, Frempomaa, Parakuo, Regimanuel-Gray and many others.

Entering the Motorway and heading east, towards Tema.

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Among the industrial establishments are the giant Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Printex, Johnson Wax, Kasapreko, Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company and Papaye, the food giant.From the above, it is obvious that the Motorway had long ceased to be an express way linking two cities, to become virtually a street running through several townships or residential settlements.

In fact, technically speaking, a huge chunk of the Tema township has grown alongside the Motorway and the only way these settlements can link up with their roots in metropolitan Tema is by the Motorway or through what is popularly known as the Beach Road which has its own problems.It is, therefore, strange that what is obvious to the ordinary person has not made any impression on the minds of our urban development planners.

If it has, then they are slow in acting. Many Ghanaians expected that by now the Motorway would have been redesigned to assume a bigger role beyond being a link between Accra and Tema.The expectation was that various exit and entry points would be incorporated into the new design to ensure that all the safety concerns and the interests of the residents of the newly-developed communities were addressed.

As it is now, residents of the new communities, confronted by survival instincts, have taken a decision which has its ramifications by creating unapproved roads onto the Motorway.Those who want to remain on the good side of the law have no option but to use the Beach Road running through Teshie and Nungua or the Spintex Road, which has its own story to tell.

Above picture: Aerial view motorway and surrounding land.

A few months ago, the Department of Urban Roads saw the wisdom in opening an exit point on the Motorway to facilitate easy movement for residents of Sakumono Estates, Communities 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20.

This worked wonderfully well and reduced traffic on the Spintex Road. We thought that was a new beginning to create more of those official entry and exit points to prevent people from creating their own routes that would pose danger to other road users.

Unfortunately, the joy of the aforementioned communities was shortlived. The officially approved exit point was among those which were closed by the same Department of Urban Roads in an exercise to close all unapproved routes.

Sharing the same fate with the Accra-Tema Motorway is the Spintex Road. This road began as a rough laterite road which acted as a bypass serving the needs of a few industrial establishments at the time that had to transport materials from the Tema Port. It derives its name from one of the textile companies operating there — Spintex, which has since become Printex, but the name of the road remains the same.

With time, this road witnessed rapid development as speculators who could see into the future acquired plots for various development projects. It had its first taste of bitumen around 1992, when the authorities began to recognise its potential.

At first, the development was gradual, then suddenly there was an explosion and the Spintex Road became the target of business worth its salt. So it came to pass that many estate developers grabbed land and built estates along the Spintex Road. Commercial houses which could predict the needs of the residents of these estates did not hesitate to open shops on both sides of the road.

One motor firm, Sneda Motors, did not fail to realise the opportunities that the Spintex Road had on offer and quickly opened a showroom opposite the Palace Shopping Mall.

This mall was touted as the biggest shopping mall in town until GAME and SHOPRITE came to put paid to that claim.The financial institutions could not be left out and almost all the banks worth their salt, especially the new ones, have all got branches on the Spintex Road. At least I can count ECOBANK, STANBIC, BARCLAYS, ZENITH, PRUDENTIAL, UNIBANK and STANCHART. To serve the fuel needs of motorists are GOIL, SHELL, OANDO, GLORY, TOTAL, AGAPET and ALLIED OIL.

PAPAYE, the local food chain, the Bank of Ghana warehouse, a host of wine and liquor shops, coffee shops, fast food joints, nightclubs, pharmacies, including one belonging to Ernest Chemists, Kpogas and Platinum furniture companies are all bona fide tenants on the Spintex Road.

Jostling for space between these giant companies are the usual containers and kiosks selling anything, from second-hand goods which include old bed sheets, blankets, towels, plates, glasses, bowls, computers, stoves, television sets and computers, to provisions and alcoholic beverages.As should be expected, the heavy traffic is too much for the once rough and dusty Spintex Road to carry. Surely, the Spintex Road is one of the busiest commercial roads in Accra and we do not need a seer to tell us that it needs proper upgrading.

I believe some of the business entities operating on it will be willing to lend support once they know a better road will enhance their operations.

Driving on the Spintex Road in either direction can be hell. Things even get worse if there is an accident or those long haulage trucks have come to discharge their cargo of rice and sugar, which we enjoy importing from other countries, into the various warehouses.We should not wait for doomsday before starting something frantic. The time to upgrade the Spintex Road into a dual-carriageway with asphalt is now. This way, it will conveniently ease the load on the Motorway. Until that day when the new Spintex Road will be fluid with free vehicular movement, the Motorway should be opened to use by motorists in the various communities dotted along it.

It does not make sense building a Motorway which lies empty, while parallel to it motorists struggle to reach their offices or homes. Feature by Kofi Akordor - 2007 / Daily Graphic Ghana

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